Exhaust-gas treatment equipment and gas-capture-material deterioration-state estimating method

Abstract

Provided is an exhaust-gas treatment equipment including: a reaction container filled with a gas capture material that captures a particular gas component, the reactor container emitting gas obtained by removing the particular gas component from supplied gas by reaction of the supplied gas with the gas capture material; a temperature measuring element disposed in the reaction container, the temperature measuring element measuring a temperature of the gas capture material in the reaction container; a moving unit that freely moves the temperature measuring element in a direction that is parallel to a flow of the supplied gas flowing in the reaction container; and a control unit that estimates a deterioration state of the gas capture material using temperatures of the gas capture material at a plurality of different positions in the reaction container, the temperatures being measured by the temperature measuring element.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An exhaust-gas treatment equipment comprising:
 a reaction container filled with a gas capture material that captures a particular gas component, the reactor container emitting gas obtained by removing the particular gas component from supplied gas by reaction of the supplied gas with the gas capture material; 
 a temperature measuring element disposed in the reaction container, the temperature measuring element measuring a temperature of the gas capture material in the reaction container; 
 a moving unit that freely moves the temperature measuring element in a direction that is parallel to a flow of the supplied gas flowing in the reaction container; and 
 a control unit that estimates a deterioration state of the gas capture material using temperatures of the gas capture material at a plurality of different positions in the reaction container, the temperatures being measured by the temperature measuring element when the temperature measuring element is moved by means of the moving unit. 
 
     
     
       2. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the reaction container comprises a heating unit that heats the gas capture material filled into the reaction container from outside, and a cooling unit that cools the gas capture material, and 
 a capturing step of causing the supplied gas to flow to allow the gas capture material to capture the particular gas component, a heating step of heating the gas capture material by the heating unit to desorb the particular gas component from the gas capture material, and a cooling step of cooling the heated gas capture material by the cooling unit are repeated in the reaction container. 
 
     
     
       3. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 2 , wherein
 three of the temperature measuring elements are disposed in the reaction container to be movable in the direction that is parallel to the flow of the supplied gas, and 
 in the capturing step, the control unit estimates temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, from information on positions of the three temperature measuring elements located at different positions by the moving unit, and temperatures of the gas capture material, the temperatures being measured by the three temperature measuring elements at the positions, and estimates the deterioration state of the gas capture material based on the estimated temperature distribution. 
 
     
     
       4. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 2 , wherein
 three of the temperature measuring elements are disposed in the reaction container to be movable in the direction that is parallel to the flow of the supplied gas, and 
 the control unit 
 in the capturing step, estimates temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, from information on positions of the three temperature measuring elements located at different positions by the moving unit, and temperatures of the gas capture material, the temperatures being measured by the three temperature measuring elements at the positions, and calculates positions to which the three temperature measuring elements are to be moved based on the estimated temperature distribution, and 
 after moving the three temperature measuring elements to the calculated respective positions, estimates second temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, from information on positions of the three temperature measuring elements after the movement, and temperatures of the gas capture material, the temperatures being measured by the three temperature measuring elements at the positions after the movement, and estimates the deterioration state of the gas capture material based on the estimated second temperature distribution. 
 
     
     
       5. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the control unit displays a graph indicating the temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, on a display device. 
 
     
     
       6. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 4 , wherein
 when estimating that most of the gas capture material has deteriorated based on the temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, the control unit displays an alarm message to prompt an exchange of the gas capture material on a display device. 
 
     
     
       7. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 2 , wherein
 one of the temperature measuring element is disposed in the reaction container to be movable in the direction that is parallel to the flow of the supplied gas, and 
 in the capturing step, the control unit acquires temperatures of the gas capture material, the temperatures being measured by the temperature measuring element at least three different positions, while moving the temperature measuring element, estimates temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, from information on the at least three positions and temperatures of the gas capture material acquired at the respective positions, and estimate the deterioration state of the gas capture material based on the estimated temperature distribution. 
 
     
     
       8. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the gas capture material filled in the reaction container is a CO 2  capture material that captures CO 2 . 
 
     
     
       9. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the CO 2  capture material uses at least one of a metallic oxide, activated carbon, an alkali metal carbonate, an alkali metal hydroxide, a layered composite hydroxide, and a solid organic compound. 
 
     
     
       10. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a component of the gas capture material is an oxide or a composite oxide that contains at least one metal selected from Ce, a rare earth metal other than Ce, and Zr. 
 
     
     
       11. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to claim  1 , wherein
 the gas capture material is honeycomb-shaped or monolith-shaped. 
 
     
     
       12. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 2 , wherein
 a pipe that supplies heated gas, as the heating unit, is connected to the reaction container. 
 
     
     
       13. The exhaust-gas treatment equipment according to  claim 2 , wherein
 a heat transfer pipe through which a heated heat medium flows, as the heating unit, is provided in the reaction container. 
 
     
     
       14. A gas-capture-material deterioration-state estimating method, wherein
 an exhaust-gas treatment equipment comprises: 
 a reaction container filled with a gas capture material that captures a particular gas component, the reactor container emitting gas obtained by removing the particular gas component from supplied gas by reaction of the supplied gas with the gas capture material; 
 a heating unit that heats the gas capture material; and 
 a cooling unit that cools the gas capture material, and 
 repeats a process including:
 a capturing step of causing the supplied gas to flow to allow the gas capture material to capture the particular gas component; 
 a heating step of heating the gas capture material by the heating unit to desorb the particular gas component from the gas capture material; and 
 a cooling step of cooling the heated gas capture material by the cooling unit, 
 
 the exhaust-gas treatment equipment further comprising: 
 a temperature measuring element disposed in the reaction container, the temperature measuring element measuring a temperature of the gas capture material in the reaction container; 
 a moving unit that freely moves the temperature measuring element in a direction that is parallel to a flow of the supplied gas flowing in the reaction container; and 
 a control unit connected to at least the moving unit and the temperature measuring element, wherein 
 the control unit estimates a deterioration state of the gas capture material using temperatures of the gas capture material at a plurality of different positions in the reaction container, the temperatures being measured by the temperature measuring element when the temperature measuring element is moved by means of the moving unit. 
 
     
     
       15. The gas-capture-material deterioration-state estimating method according to  claim 14 , wherein
 three of the temperature measuring elements are disposed in the reaction container to be movable in the direction that is parallel to the flow of the supplied gas, and 
 in the capturing step, the control unit estimates temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, from information on positions of the three temperature measuring elements located at different positions by the moving unit, and temperatures of the gas capture material, the temperatures being measured by the three temperature measuring elements at the positions, and estimates the deterioration state of the gas capture material based on the estimated temperature distribution. 
 
     
     
       16. The gas-capture-material deterioration-state estimating method according to  claim 14 , wherein
 three of the temperature measuring elements are disposed in the reaction container to be movable in the direction that is parallel to the flow of the supplied gas, and 
 the control unit 
 in the capturing step, estimates temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, from information on positions of the three temperature measuring elements located at different positions by the moving unit, and temperatures of the gas capture material, the temperatures being measured by the three temperature measuring elements at the positions, and calculates positions to which the three temperature measuring elements are to be moved based on the estimated temperature distribution, and 
 after moving the three temperature measuring elements to the calculated respective positions, estimates second temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, from information on positions of the three temperature measuring elements after the movement, and temperatures of the gas capture material, the temperatures being measured by the three temperature measuring elements at the positions after the movement, and estimates the deterioration state of the gas capture material based on the estimated second temperature distribution. 
 
     
     
       17. The gas-capture-material deterioration-state estimating method according to  claim 16 , wherein
 the control unit displays a graph indicating the temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, on a display device. 
 
     
     
       18. The gas-capture-material deterioration-state estimating method according to  claim 16 , wherein
 when estimating that most of the gas capture material has deteriorated based on the temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, the control unit displays an alarm message to prompt an exchange of the gas capture material on a display device. 
 
     
     
       19. The gas-capture-material deterioration-state estimating method according to  claim 14 , wherein
 one of the temperature measuring element is disposed in the reaction container to be movable in the direction that is parallel to the flow of the supplied gas, and 
 in the capturing step, the control unit acquires temperatures of the gas capture material measured by the temperature measuring element at least three different positions while moving the temperature measuring element, estimates temperature distribution of the gas capture material along the flow of the supplied gas in the reaction container, from information on the at least three positions and temperatures of the gas capture material acquired at the respective positions, and estimates the deterioration state of the gas capture material based on the estimated temperature distribution.